1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle test equipment, and more specifically, to an electro-shaker vehicle test stand for static evaluation of vehicle road performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles, such as motor vehicles, are complex structures that include a multitude of interrelated components. During the development of a vehicle, the vehicle will undergo various tests to predict the durability and reliability of the vehicle under various conditions over a period of time, and in particular, under actual driving conditions. While the vehicle may be tested dynamically using actual roads, this evaluation technique is time consuming and expensive to perform. Therefore, static evaluation techniques have been developed that simulate driving on a particular road surface, and correlate with dynamic vehicle test results. An example of a type of predictive static vehicle test is a shake test that simulates driving conditions in order to measure the ride and handling characteristics of the vehicle.
Various types of test stands are known in the art for performing a static vehicle road performance evaluation. One example of a test fixture includes a support frame attached to a hydraulic shaker. While this type of shaker works well in simulating road conditions, it has several inherent disadvantages. Hydraulic shakers are large machines that require significant space, in part due to the size of the oil reservoir. In addition, this type of test stand is expensive to manufacture and operate. Further, this type of test stand is not portable or adaptable to other types of tests. Thus, there is a need in the art for a vehicle test stand that can support the load of a vehicle while simulating a driving surface, and at the same time is cost effective to manufacture and operate.